One piece splash unit for the fill section of liquid cooling towers



July 17, 1962 MART 3,044,237

L. T. ONE PIECE SPLASH UNIT FOR THE FILL SECTION OF LIQUID COOLINGTOWERS Filed April 28, 1958 v v 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. e00 ZMorfJuly 17, 1962 MAR-r 3,044,237

L T. ONE PIECE SPLASH UNIT FOR THE FILL SECTION OF LIQUID COOLING TOWERSFiled April 28, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll ll'numv HIH HHH E? 60 a 2 A26INVENTOR. Leo/2 ZMarf 226 .'if v u r BY A rroezv United States PatentONE PIECE SPLASH UNIT FOR THE FILL SECTION This invention relates toimprovements in structures for cooling water, and more particularly toimprovements in the working area of a water cooling tower wherein airand water are caused to move, such' area including not only the fillassembly, but the drift eliminator at the air outlet side of theassembly and the louvered face of the air inlet side of the fillassembly.

It has been the universal practice to fill the working area of a watercooling tower with redwood or treated fir splash bars, supported onnotched stringers to provide the necessary wetted area and air space.These decks have been rather cumbersome and difiicult to assemble sincethe inlet louvers and the outlet eliminator bars have been nailed to theends of the stringers requiring the use of many small pieces of lathadded to the fill assembly.

It is the most important object of the present invention, therefore, toprovide a Working area structure that eliminates the hazards and otherdifliculties incident tov wood decay; that reduces the number ofseparate pieces to be handled during assembly; that decreases theoverall weight of the tower itself; that permits easy removal of dirtand scale which collects in the fill area; and that is generally lessexpensive than conventional assemblies.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide aworking area for water cooling towers wherein the fill assembly, theinlet louvers and the drift eliminators are combined in a single unitthrough use of a flat panel and a pair of opposed blades integral withthe Panels at the ends thereof and transversely inclined whereby to formthe drift eliminator, as well as the louvered air inlet face of the fillassembly when the panels are disposed in stacked relationship within thetower casing.

Another important object ofthe present invention is to render the panelsand, therefore, the blades at the ends thereof, self-supporting throughthe medium of spacers integral with the lower faces of the panels andfunctioning not only to maintain such panels in parallelism, but tosupport the same by resting upon the upper face of the proximal paneltherebelow.

Still another important object of the present invention is to providespacer supports integral with the lowermost faces of the panels formedto also present vertical film surfaces so as to obtain good waterdistribution over the entire planar area of the tower with the lowestpossible resistance to air flow therethrough, and at the same timeattaining the greatest possible exposed wetted surface.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational View of the water cooling tower, partsbeing broken away and in section to reveal the one piece splash unit forthe fill section thereof made pursuant to one form of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed crosssectional view takenon line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a pair of fill units of thekind illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a detailed, cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of splash unit.

FIG. 6 is an edge elevational view of the unit shown in FIG. 5.

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FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of still another embodiment of the instantinvention.

FIG. 9 is an edge elevational view of the form shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9.

In the form of my invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, the workingarea of tower 12 chosen for illustration, includes a fill assemblybroadly designated by the numeral 14, having a drift eliminator 16 atits air outlet side, and a louvered air inlet face 18 in opposedrelationship to thedrift eliminator 16. Such working area is entirelyhoused within a casing 20 provided with an air inlet (not shown) forflow of air in the direction indicated by arrows in FIG. 1. Such airflow is induced through use of a fan 22 to cause cooling of the water asthe latter gravitates through the fill assembly 14 from a hot Waterbasin 24. I

The fill assembly 14 includes a stack of separate, flat, verticallyspaced, panels 26 that are in parallel, superimposed relationship. Eachpanel 26 is provided with water flow passages which, in the form of myinvention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, consist of aplurality ofcontinuous, parallel slots 28 throughout the length of panel 26.

Each panel 26 is additionally provided with a pair of elongated,transversely inclined blades 30 and 32 at the ends thereof, which arelikewise coextensive in length with the panels 26. Blades 30 and 32slope outwardly and upwardly and are integral with the panels 26. Thus,when the panels 26 are stacked in the manner shown in FIG. 1 of thedrawings, blades 32 present the drift eliminator 16 and the blades 30form the louvered air inlet face 18 of the assembly 14.

The entire assembly 14 including its drift eliminator 16 and louvers 18,is supported by bottom 34 of the case 20, the latter of which alsopresents the cold water collection basin of the tower.

Panels 26 are additionally rendered self-supporting and held in spaced,parallel relationship through the medium of a series of elongated spacerbars 36 integral with the lowermost faces thereof and dependingtherefrom. FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 illustrate clearly the way in which therectangular bars 36 rest'upon the uppermost surfaces of the proximalpanels 26 therebelow, thereby not only supporting the panels 26, butholding the latter in proper spaced, parallel relationship. While thepanels 26 are all horizontal in FIG. 1,. it is manifest that the bars 36will serve the same purpose even if it is desired to cant axes extendingacross the water flow passages 28 in perpendicular relationship thereto.Consequently, bars 36 serve the added important function of presentingsurfaces along which the water emanating from the panels 26 tends tofilm, such filming obviously enhancing the cooling effect of the air onthe gravitating water. Bars 36 are relieved at their bottom edges toprovide feet 37 to allow water to flow over the surfaces of the panelsand thereby assure even distribution.

In FIGS. 5 to 7 inclusive, each panel 126 has a pair of blades 130 and132, as well as a plurality of spacer bars 136 integral therewith, butin lieu of elongated slots forming water flow passages through thepanels 126, there is provided a plurality of relatively small holes '128which :may either align with the bars 136, partially align therewith, orbe disposed remote therefrom as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

their. bottom edges to. provide. feet 137 for the same pur-.

Bars 136 are relieved at pose as above set forth.

In FIGS. 8 to 10 inclusive, there is'illustrated a form oftlie instantinvention which includes. a flat panel 226 having endblades 230' and 232integral therewith. Water flowzpassages through. thepanel 226 take'theform of a series of spaced, elongated slot-s 228.1 The means for.

illustrativepurposes only, and. that, therefore, the working.

area. which constitutes the subject matter of, the instant invention maybe used-withsimilar good results in other types'ofwater coolingstructures. 1

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a water cooling tower having a fill assembly through which water tobecooled is adapted to gravitate and air is adapted to flow to'cool thewater, a drift eliminator at the air outlet side of the assembly, and alouvered air inlet face in opposed 'relationship to said drifteliminator, said fill assembly including a stack of-separate, flat,vertically spaced, superimposed, parallel panels having water fiowpassages therethrough, and each provided with a pair of opposed,parallel end edges and a pair of side edges, each panel having anelongated blade transversely inclined upwardly and ontwardly,..integralwith each and edge, and spanning the distance between said side edges,the blades at one end of the panels being parallel and forming the drifteliminator and the blades at the oppositeend of the panels beingparallel and forming said louvered air inlet face; and elongatedba-rs,perpendicular to and integral with thelower face of each panelrespectively and resting on the upper face of the proximal paneltherebelow, thereby serving as supports for. the panels, said barshaving opposed, vertical surfaces for collecting films of watersubstantially spanning the distance between said end edges inapproximately parallel relationship to said: side edges and to the. pathof travel of air. through the. assembly, the lower margins of said barsin engagement with the 'panelnext therebelow being relieved. to permitWater to. flow overthe. entire surfaces of the. panels: and therebyassuringv even distribution of suchiwater.

References Cited in the file of this. patent UNITED. STATES PATENTS890,332 Burham June. 9, 1908 1,987,881 VonSeggernetal; Jan. 15, 19352,100,667 Pabodie- Nov. 30, 1937 2,650,082 Mart Aug. 25', 1953 2,738,853Green Mar. 20, 1956 2,776,121 Fordyce Iuly'l, 195.7

FOREIGN PATENTS.

5 83,948 France Nov. 10, 1924 68 1,01 9 Great Britain Oct. 15, 1952752,784 Great Britain July 11, 1956

